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Evening Star, Issue 3510, 23 May 1874, Page 2

There has been of late a great commotion amongst some of the members of the legal profession in Dunedin. Dr Watts tells us that “ Birds in their little nests agree,” but it is quite certain that a similar statement with regard to lawyers would not be true. The public have been made thoroughly aware of the fact. There has been a great “ washing of dirty linen,” as it is called, and it has been found necessary that the operation should take place directly under the eye of the public. Ou* object in referring to this matter is not to express any opinion whatever with regard to tho respective merits of the persons engaged in the quarrel. We have nothing to do with any man’s, private affairs, nor have tho public, but when the washing of dirty linen or any other operation becomes a public nuisance, we feel quite justified in suggesting that it would be advisable that some private washhouse should be found : in other words, that the public should not be annoyed by having matters brought under notice which can interest them but little, and which they probably would much prefer not to be troubled with. If every man who has a quarrel with a neighbor is to rush into print, and give a com-; plete and circumstantial account of all that ever that neighbor did or said, there will soon be literally no living here. The newspapers will have to cease from dis- , charging their proper duties ; their -columns will be filled with private biographies, which, of course, will be no longer private ; and, in short, the whole community will soon be engaged in a civil, or rather an uncivil war', to which the battle of the “ Kilkenny cats” will be mere child’s-play. We have never been squeamish about attacking the public sayings or doings of public men, but we must enter a strong protest against the hideous custom which seems to be gaining ground among us—of allowing private matters to be discussed in the newspapers. We are not saying too much when we assert that the correspondence lately published in the ‘ Guardian 7 and in the * Times,’ fairly bristles with allusions to, and statements about purely private matters, that ought never to have corns before the public. We do hope that our contemporaries will at see th® necessity of making a firm stand against tlii growing evil, and at once endeavor to put an end to a practice, which no newspaper of any standing should in any way encourage.